So far, Jordan has emerged as the first team in history to reach the final of the Asian Cup and claim their coveted first trophy. However, before they can move on to the final chapter of the tournament, they will have to overcome the hurdle of Qatar, who have the advantage of home ground, which will make the road to the title even more difficult.
Qatar seemed to have the wind at their back in this tournament. Before reaching the final, they were only really tested against Iran and were hardly challenged in the rest of the matches. Whether the players will be able to turn things around in the face of adversity is still an open question.
Analyzed from a variety of angles, Jordan has a 40% chance of winning and is expected to either replicate their last impressive 2-0 win over South Korea or narrowly beat Qatar by 1-0.
This final will also witness Chinese soccer. The AFC officially announced that Ma Ning will referee this Asian Cup final, Fu Ming will be the VAR referee, and Zhou Fei and Zhang Miao will be the assistant referees respectively. This marks the first time that a Chinese referee has made an appearance in an Asian Cup final.
According to statistics, Manning has excelled in his three stints as a referee, including one group stage match, one 1/8th final and one quarterfinal. Given the national football team's early exit, it's no surprise that Manning is once again in AFC's favor.
